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Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California

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2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California

34 Colleges
$25,500 Avg Salary
$27,453 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts School for You

With 3,916 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, film, video and photographic arts is the #33 most popular major in California.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 34 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for film majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best school in California for film, video and photographic arts students. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that film majors at UC Berkeley take out is $15,000.

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Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, American Film Institute Conservatory landed the # 2 spot on the list. American Film Institute is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at American Film Institute Conservatory Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

The average amount in student loans that film majors at USC take out is $21,466. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $395, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of Southern California

#4

National University

La Jolla, CA

Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the # 4 spot on the list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at National University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, film graduates from UC Irvine carry an average student debtload of $15,500. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $235, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at University of California - Irvine

#6

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Academy of Art University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

While working on their degree, film majors at Academy of Art University accumulate an average of around $37,063 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $789.

Full Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Academy of Art University Report

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, film majors at UCSB accumulate an average of around $17,712 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $259.

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#8

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Schools in California list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read full report on Film, Video & Photographic Arts at Mount Saint Mary’s University

#9

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, film majors at Loyola Marymount accumulate an average of around $23,250 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $1,038, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#10

Chapman University

Orange, CA

With a ranking of #10, Chapman University did quite well on this year’s best schools for film, video and photographic arts students. Chapman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Orange.

While working on their degree, film majors at Chapman accumulate an average of around $19,980 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $346, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Film, Video & Photographic Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 132
Oregon 167
Nevada 77

One of 10 majors within the area of study, film, video and photographic arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
Music 25,910
Drama & Theater Arts 17,341
General Visual & Performing Arts 6,355

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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